V2: Chapter 11: I Wasn't Told That This was About Me?

Chapter 11: I Wasn't Told That This was About Me?

Dinner was hamburg steak with demi-glace sauce. My cooking skills are only good enough to dominate home economics class, so unfortunately, I can't make a dish this perfect.

"I'll clear the dishes, Mother♡"

"Thank you as always, Lux-chan."

Perhaps understanding the time, place, and occasion, Lux had taken off her trademark bondage armor and was wearing a baggy, unfashionable T-shirt.

Is that really appropriate for a succubus?

Well, even in that outfit, her good looks make it look great.

"Lux, um... this is a bit of a strange question, but how do you manage your 'meals'?"

This might be a slightly inappropriate topic to bring up at a dinner table with a succubus, mother, and daughter...

Before that, why didn't I realize how strange it was to be eating with my mother and a succubus? I just felt a slight sense of unease at how Lux had become so accustomed to our home.

"Oh, it's not like I can't live without draining life force, you know?"

"Really?"

"Besides food, I can just drain energy from something similar. You see, something like... 'human can live even without cake', right?"

Wow, I see... so it's treated like a luxury item.

The succubus's ecology, something nobody knows. If we can understand each other like this, maybe we can even live hand in hand with the demons.

External enemies... well, that's probably fundamentally impossible. The grudges are just too deep to begin with.

"Lux-chan, your bath is ready."

"Thank you, Mother, shall we go in together, Satellite-chan♡?"

"N-no, surely not...!?"

It would be embarrassing, or rather, I'd definitely not know where to look. Even through that ugly T-shirt, those big mountains are so prominent, I'm not sure I can handle it.

"Too bad, you can come in anytime, you know♡?"

"Ah, yeah..."

Saying that, Lux headed towards the bathroom.

Typical of a succubus... I almost nodded.

Even though Lux transforms from a stuffed animal back into a human form when eating or taking a bath...

"Mom, you accepted Lux ​​quite easily, didn't you?"

Why is she so comfortable? She's quite a shocking and sexy pink-haired woman to welcome as a family member. She even has a tail and horns.

"Well, rather than imagining my daughter being toyed with by some unknown tentacles, I rather have Lux-chan to be the one taking care of you."

"Ugh, I'm truly sorry about that incident..."

It seems it was because of my usual words and actions. I really am sorry for causing her so much trouble. It's just that I can't control my fetishes and desires.

"If you think so, then change your usual behavior, you stupid girl."

I get a light tap on the head.

But, Mom,... I'm not stupid? I'm a brilliant, beautiful, genius Magical Girl, you know? 

I don't say that thought out loud. Mothers are strong, no matter the era. And although I have a high opinion of myself... I am aware that I'm a terrible filial child.

"I'd be happy as long as you're happy, but as a mother, it's only natural to want to see my daughter in wedding dress..."

"Uh, yeah... well... yes."

I couldn't say anything to my mother, who was gazing into the distance with a sorrowful expression. Even if I ended up being adopted by someone, I firmly resolved to send her a picture of myself in a wedding dress... that's what I was thinking during dinner.

★

Amidst the usual routine of patrolling and summoning, the activities of this so-called New Star Magical Girl Association were surprisingly few. It might be obvious, but the Magical Girl Association's power is incredibly vast. It would take something truly significant to overturn that authority.

The New Star Magical Girl Association seems to be aiming to oust the current association president, Squire, and install a 'new king'... but the full picture remains shrouded in mystery.

However, it probably won't go so smoothly.  

After all, the members of the Magic Association are...

Me, the strongest and symbol of peace; Squire, the association president, unrivaled in negotiations; Gracia, who excels at covering details and gathering information; and many other exceptionally talented members.

"Oh ho ho! I, the Crimson Magical Girl, Lady Bradia, have come all this way for you! You should be grateful!"

"...I always think this, but can't you do something about the way you talk?"

...The fact that she's ranked third in terms of actual ability really highlights the lack of talent in the mid-tier.

Because Gracia is usually by my side, this over-the-top, fake-lady vibe really stands out. Why are two of the top three magical girls such lady characters? There are so many other options, you know?

"You can only watch from the sidelines like that for now, you know? Because I! this Bradia!! Will be taking over the next year's popularity poll!!!"

"Haha, well... good luck☆"

She's not a bad girl, she's just a little noisy, overly self-conscious, and a bit dim-witted. She has high firepower and a strong desire to help people.

The top ranks are just exceptionally talented, and in terms of sheer magical power, she should be stronger than Gracia, though she lacks any tricky tactics.

And so, the top three Magical Girls of Japan are all here... but actually, it's not that unusual.

Since I, number 1, and Gracia, number 2, are partners, as long as Bradia is here, the top three are assembled.

The concentration of forces isn't ideal, but Me and Gracia handle the more dangerous missions ourselves. While Bradia operates solo because she can't concentrate when there are people nearby—is she an idiot?

"I think it'll be alright, but be careful, okay? Things have been pretty dangerous lately."

"There's no way I, of all people, would be outmaneuvered by some random enemy!!!"

"Especially Satellite... you understand, right?"

"Of course, it'll be fine, I guess?"

Do you really have that little faith in me?

Do you think I'm some loose woman who'll follow anyone?

Just because I haven't had a good day lately doesn't mean you should underestimate me. I could take down any enemy in one hit...

"Other than that, I told you to call me if something unusual happens so you don't even need to use magic, right?"

"Ah, yeah. That's true..."

Well, there's no need to use magic and activate the Lust Mark unless it's an emergency.

I know, I know, but... it's somehow frustrating.

Even without this, I wouldn't run away from Lux now. Well, I suppose she wouldn't understand from her perspective.

We parted ways in front of the association and began our patrol, but at that time, we never imagined something like that would happen.

Probably no one did.

★★★

"Even so, it's rare for anything particularly unusual to happen here..."

This isn't an area where External Enemy frequently appear, nor is it particularly prone to crime. At most, there are minor inconveniences like people searching for lost items or cats. It was during such a patrol that a red-haired girl stood blocking my path.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have paid her any attention, if... if only she wasn't a Magical Girl.

"Sorry, but I'll need you to bear with me for a bit."

She was staring at me intently, clearly indicating hostility. While I had anticipated that, her presence quickly plunged me into a situation that felt like a bad joke.

"Flamma...! Why would a magical girl of your caliber leave the association...!"

"There's no reason why. I mean, it's very obvious... Gracia."

She even attended the Second Demon King's meeting...

The red-haired magical girl, who should possess that much power, has left the association and joined a Stray Magical Girl alliance. I'd heard about it, but seeing it in person still leaves me utterly shocked.

"Rather, I'm surprised you're still affiliated with the association. I thought you'd be the first to come here."

"...I have something to protect: (my daily life with Shizuku)."

I don't want to distort the peace we've finally achieved with my likes and dislikes.

But Flamma shakes her head, looking somewhat disgusted by my answer. She must not have liked my response. The fact that she's appeared before me like this means the New Star Magical Girl Association probably has some objective.

"Ha, so even you care about status quo in the end, huh? Too bad, Gracia."

"If it's too bad, what are you going to do about it?"

Hearing such an obvious answer is a sign that there's no turning back now. Even so, unfortunately, the other party's resolve seems firm... battle is probably unavoidable.

"Like this...!"

The raging flames loomed before me.

However, she couldn't possibly think that an attack of this magnitude could defeat me, the second-rank. If I were to be defeated by such a poor matchup, I would have to relinquish my position immediately.

"Ice Mirror───"

I conjured ball-sized ice mirrors and unleashed them all at once. It's difficult in situations like this, unlike against External Enemies, because I can't fight seriously. Killing another magical girl is something I only do in unavoidable circumstances. The released mirrors pierced Flamma's form─and her figure vanished like mist.

Then, multiple blurred, mirage-like illusions appeared. This must be her Magic. Fire and ice… the compatibility of our magic is quite poor; it was probably assigned intentionally.

If so, my opponent must have a very… sharp strategist.

What was their objective?

It was as if they were just stalling for time...!!

I finally realized the situation after thinking about it for a while. Certainly, with the top three most powerful members of the Magical Girl Association present, targeting us would be the most effective way to undermine the Association's power. So, I checked my smartphone screen to contact Satellite to inform them of their objective, but...　

"So, your objective is to stall for time, huh? We've been completely fooled...!"

"You noticed quickly, but... I'll buy you a little more time!"

The phone showed no signal, probably intentional, not accidental...

In that case, what I need to do remains the same. I just need to defeat her and immediately rejoin the other two. If it's just a few illusions, I can just crush them all. I create mirrors for each mirage... and unleash them to crush them───　

"...What!?"

──That was a fake; her real target was in my blind spot.

I know exactly what an illusion user is going to do. After all, that's my specialty. But the attack stops unnaturally just before it hits.

"What? You were all talk about defeating Gracia, but you're pathetic ♡"

"Sorry, thanks for saving me, Tinkerbell."

"Of course! I'm not the kind of fools who would abandon my friends ♡"

A new magical girl with green hair appeared, sporting a mocking smile. She must be the one who stopped the Ice Mirror, but I can't imagine the true nature of her magic at all.

Her movements are as if time has stopped... but if her magic is that powerful, I'm sure I've lost.

Probably a Magic name that distorts the laws under certain conditions…

"My goal is achieved~ I really wanted to defeat you, but... it looks like I'm at a disadvantage today."

"You thought I'd let you escape...!"

"And you think you can stop me, huh? I can't believe you'd show your face without a plan... Bell isn't an idiot, you know?"

The giant ice mirror I unleashed, intending to finish them off on the spot, stopped falling just before it was about to crush them—and vanished.

It was reasonable to assume there was another magical girl, perhaps a teleportation-type magical girl, on the enemy's side. This meant I had completely lost sight of my opponent.

I didn't think Satellite would lose to an opponent of that caliber; if anything, I should be more worried about Bradia. 

But those expectations were… betrayed in a bad way.

It was a message from Shizuku, sent to my smartphone app.

[A fan wants to give me a present, so I'm going to go. You can go home first ☆]

"HAH??"

The meaning was so utterly incomprehensible that even looking at the screen again didn't change the text.

While I was desperately fighting, did she really go along with some girl she didn't even know, claiming to be a fan...?

It seemed impossible that something so stupid could happen... but somehow, it seemed possible, given her preference.

"I need to teach her about her place, at least once."

★★★

Of course, even though I'm patrolling like this, nothing happens most days. Interacting with local residents, giving fan service to fans who come specifically to see me... my main job is increasing my popularity.

Besides, just the fact that I'm patrolling... significantly reduces the crime rate in the area.

So, as my patrol for the day was nearing its end, I tried to contact Chloe... and noticed something was wrong.

In the middle of Tokyo... my smartphone was showing no signal. It was too quiet for a large-scale signal outage, and it had lasted far too long for a localized one.

Feeling a strange unease, I walked through the darkening streets for a while. Then I spotted a face that seemed familiar.

"Satellite-sama!"

"Ah, um..."

A small girl with light green hair, about fifth grade. She seemed to know me, and I felt like I'd seen her before.

Where was it...?

Oh, I remembered it. I remembered her. It was the girl who bought my book at the bookstore.

"I think it's been since I signed your book in town?"

"You remembered... I'm so touched!"

I think she said she'd be a fan for life. I've decided to be especially kind to my fans, so I try to remember their faces as much as possible.

"Actually, I have a present for Satellite-sama..."

"Yes, I'll gratefully accept it☆"

"It's not something I can carry... Could you come with me?"

What a problem. I'm on patrol right now... and I can't get in touch with Chloe-chan. It wouldn't be good to just leave without saying anything, so...

"Can't you... Can you coming with me? I went to all the trouble of preparing something, ugh..."

"Wait, wait, don't cry!?"

I desperately try to comfort the girl who has started sobbing.

Wow... my fan is crying. No, but surely...

Ah, that's right!

It's not okay to just disappear, but if I say something, there's no problem, right?

I open my social media and send a message to Chloe-chan. Well, the message will probably reach her once the connection is restored. It was with such optimistic thoughts that I decided to follow her, but...

I walked, walked more than I expected... and suddenly the scenery changed.

"Welcome, Satellite-sama!"

Seeing the approximately 30 Magical Girls gathered in the dimly lit underground where I had followed her, a bad feeling crossed my mind.

No way, no, that can't be.

Such a small girl... well, her appearance certainly matches what I'd been told, but...

"This is the New Star Magical Girl Association. The Magical Girl Association for our New Star, Satellite-sama!"

"Eh, eh...?"

But... I wasn't told anything that I was the so-called 'King' of such organization?